Author's Note/Disclaimer: HEY GUYS! I hope you have enjoyed this so far. This chapter has more mature themes than the others do, so this is just a tiny disclaimer. We're FINALLY getting to the juicy plot of the story, which is always fun. Also, sorry, it takes a while for me to upload these chapters because of school :-( Nonetheless, HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN THE CASAGRANDES MOVIE TRAILER? THIS IS SO EXCITING! I'm excited to see my girl Ronnie Anne again. Anywho, don't be afraid to leave a review of this chapter :P Hope y'all enjoy!
Today was the day: the first day of Royal Woods High School. Well, for Ronnie Anne, at least. She wasn't very scared nor was she nervous because she had her, ahem, best friend by her side the entire time. Lincoln was her rock throughout her move. For the first couple of weeks, she was lonely since Bobby and Lori were always together planning the wedding, and her mom was still in the city for a bit, which meant she had no one to hang with at home. However, Lincoln made it his mission to do everything he could to make Royal Woods feel like home for his pro skateboarder. After all, they don't call him the "man with the plan" for nothing. They would go to the arcade together, visit Dairyland, and even ride the glart to the city to visit her friends and family. And no, they did NOT do any more "bed sharing"–that was a one time thing. The last few weeks of summer felt, to put it lightly, breathtaking.
Alas, all good things must come to an end. Ronnie Anne rode her skateboard down the neighborhood. She skated at the speed of light, as per usual, to get to school before a certain Loud got there before her. "Ain't no way I'm letting that punk beat me to school." She caught that she was talking to herself. 'Ew, I'm starting to talk to myself like how I did during my spin-off. Such a shame it got canceled so early.' She quickly shook herself and finally arrived at school. "First day of school, Ronnie, don't screw up." She inhaled and exhaled as she opened the bright blue doors to hell.
"Well well well, if it isn't the slowpoke." Lincoln flashed a smug smirk to his slow friend as she groaned.
She walked over to Lincoln's locker. "At least I'm getting exercise. Unlike you, bus boy. I should just call you Lazy Linc." She laughed which then caused him to pout.
"As if I hadn't heard that before from Chandler." He slouched.
Ronnie Anne cocked her head to the side. "He's still bothering you? It's been five years–little bro needs to give it a rest."
"I know right!" Lincoln got visibly upset. "His bullying is even worse than yours was!" He explained, which caused a blush and an uncomfortable facial expression to bloom on the tomboy's face.
"Wow, it must be really bad then…" She said uneasily as she scratched her head, averting his gaze. She didn't really like to think back to her edgy "toughest girl in school" days. And she DEFINITELY did not like to think back to her motives for bullying the poor guy.
He chuckled. "It is. But hey, now I've got you to protect me." He gave her an awkward side hug.
"What, your rough and tumble gang isn't good enough for you?" She commented slyly, pointing to his friend group. Zach was picking his nose, Liam was doing who knows what, Rusty was checking his reflection in the mirror, Stella bumped into a locker while reading a book, and Clyde was on a frantic last minute call with Dr. Lopez. Needless to say, Lincoln's little circle was not as tough as Ronnie Anne was, even with all of their forces combined.
"Yeah, for sure." He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, let's start getting to class. Your first class is English, right? I'll walk you."
"You're not gonna catch up with your friends first?" She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She was flattered that he was choosing her over them for once.
"Oh, right!" He tumbled to greet them and left Ronnie Anne alone. Sure, he COULD be a gentleman when he wanted to, but he was just a teenage boy, after all. His number one priority was his boys, as they put it. As one might expect, her flattery was long gone. She rolled her eyes and dragged herself to class.
"I should've just kept my mouth shut."
"Girl Jordan's having a party tonight?" It was now lunch, and Ronnie Anne was sitting with Lincoln and his friends minus Rusty. "What's the occasion?"
"I'm not so sure," Lincoln answered, "but this party could really help our social status." This caused Ronnie Anne and Clyde to giggle. "What? You all know I'm right."
Suddenly, Rusty came barging into the cafeteria and skedaddled to his friends. "GUYS! Girl Jordan's having a party, and I heard that HOT college girls are invited. We absolutely HAVE to go." He looked like a soda can that was about to pop. He was jumping up and down like a little kid. "You all got invites, yes?"
A trail of 'yups' and 'yays' followed, but Ronnie Anne simply frowned. "I didn't…"
"Hey, don't take it to heart. You two never really talked anyway." Lincoln put a hand on her shoulder. "It says on the invite we can bring a plus one, so you're going whether she likes it or not." He said, in a 'as a matter of fact' manner. Their whole table of 7 roared and cheered.
"Thanks, Linc." She smiled and punched him in the shoulder. "Don't think that I'm gonna be your date, though." She joked.
"Eh heh…" The white-haired teen smiled sheepishly. "You…my date? Pshh–never in a million years." He blew a raspberry at her.
Stella took a glance at the two. She smirked as she whispered into Clyde's ear, "Is there something you guys haven't told me about her and Lincoln's relationship?"
Clyde whispered back at her, "There's a LOT you don't know about…"
"There's no way I'm wearing this, Lori." Ronnie Anne said, annoyed. After Lori found out about the party, she insisted on transforming this brutish caterpillar into a delicate butterfly.
"Oh but of course you are! This is literally your first high school party, and you have to turn some heads for once." She exclaimed.
"Ugh, you're starting to sound like Carlota." Ronnie Anne gagged at the memory of her makeovers at the hands of her beauty guru of a prima. But, nevertheless, she still missed her and appreciated the bond they shared.
"Lincoln's gonna love this!" Lori grabbed another outfit and scrambled to put it on Ronnie Anne.
"Woah, who said anything about impressing Lincoln?" The tomboy managed to utter before being choked to near death by layers and layers of fabric.
"You don't need to pretend with me, hermanita." Lori exclaimed ferociously as she let out a little roar and bared her claws.
"Okay, for one, I am NOT your hermanita. And secondly, WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN?" Ronnie Anne shouted, irate.
"Oh come on. I'm not oblivious, you know? I was a teenager too once. The only reason a girl goes to a party is to hook up with some guys. And Linc just happens to be a guy, so…"
Ronnie Anne rolled her eyes. Everyone and their mother kept insisting that her and Lincoln were more than friends, and she was getting sick of it. "Oh, gag! Dude, I promise that's not why I want to go at ALL. I just want to get to know everyone better. And plus, this isn't THAT type of party anyway."
Lori giggled at her future sister-in-law's obliviousness. "People don't just invite half of the school for a simple party, you know that? There's bound to be some booze and 420. Don't you keep up with 16 ½ magazine? Leni and I literally always read it when we were your age."
"Gee, I didn't really think about that." She scratched her head.
"Anyway, how do you like the look?" Lori smiled from ear to ear as she pulled out the wideview mirror. The girl staring back at Ronnie Anne Santiago was NOT who she expected.
"Umm…" She began to trail. "Isn't this a little, erm…"
"Cute? Fashionable? Literally stunning?"
"I was gonna say a little…revealing?" Ronnie Anne turned around to get the full 180 view of this outfit that Lori forced her into. "It's showing more of my, erm, chest than I'd like it to."
"But it would be such a power move if you showed up to this party in this 'fit!" The eldest Loud sister explained with glee. "I can already imagine the headlines: Ronnie Anne Santiago, former tomboy turned fashionista. It would really help elevate your social status, you know? Especially being the new girl and all."
"How many times do I have to tell you Louds that I don't give a flying Flippee about my social status?" She fumed. "The only things I care about are my skateboard, my friends, getting good grades, and taking care of my family!"
"Aww!" Lori cooed. "That is literally so sweet. I'm going to tell Boo-Boo Bear and Linc you said that."
"Please don't…" She facepalmed. "Look, if I wear this stupid outfit can you promise to keep this conversation between us?"
"You have my word, sister." The soon to be Santiago winked and saluted. "Now let's get you and Linc to this party." Lori grabbed her keys to her car and walked to the parking lot. Ronnie Anne soon followed. Lori took out her phone as she ignited the engine and texted her favorite, and only, brother: Be ready in five, twerp.
The newly bejeweled girl fidgeted with her outfit. It was uncomfortable, to say the least, especially since she wasn't normally this feminine. She checked her reflection in the rearview mirror while Lori was speeding her way to 1216 Franklin Avenue to pick Lincoln up. "How did I let you talk me into this?" She mumbled to herself.
"So," Lori began to say, "are you excited for your first high school party?"
Ronnie Anne shrugged. "I mean, it's not that big a deal. It's not like I haven't been to parties back in the city."
"I guess, but then again, Girl Jordan is known for having really intense ragers." Lori explained.
"Again, we don't know for sure that it will be a rager. I just hope that I can meet new friends." She crossed her arms and leaned on the armrest to look out the window.
"Whatever you say." The rest of the car ride was rather quiet. Eventually, they arrived, and Lincoln entered the car.
"Hey guys!" He exclaimed excitedly. "Oh boy, I can't wait to go to Girl Jordan's party." He said geekily.
"You're such a dork." Ronnie Anne laughed in the front seat.
"Hey! I just hope she has a waterslide like last time…"
"Remember," Lori interrupted Lincoln's little tangent. "PLEASE don't do anything remotely illegal–Mom will kill me if I let anything happen to you guys under my watch. I'll be back to pick you up at 9-ish. Remember, it's still a school night."
He nodded. "Thanks, Lori. Trust me, we won't disappoint. Plus, it's not THAT kind of party anyway."
Lori rolled her eyes. "I literally bet you two that it is, but whatever, we're here."
The two teenagers hopped out of the car and bid Lori farewell. "Woah…" Lincoln gaped at Ronnie Anne's outfit.
"What?" She raised an eyebrow before catching the teenage boy's wandering eyes. She was wearing a gray lace halter top with a jean skirt, which wasn't normally her style. Usually, she was content with rocking a hoodie and calling it a day. She sighed as she crossed her arms to cover her top. "Ugh, don't even mention it. Lori made me wear this."
Lincoln averted her gaze and tried to look away. He felt disrespectful for looking at her in an outfit that made her uncomfortable. "Do you want to wear my sweater?" He offered.
"Yes please!" She rushed to grab it and put it on. "You're a lifesaver, Linc. I REALLY don't wanna wear this for the rest of the night."
Lincoln's focus returned to her. "Yeah, no problem. Now, let's quit waiting around and join the party!"
The pair entered side by side. The rest of their group had already arrived. However, the setting of the party was not what the two had expected.
"Oh god…" Lincoln began to say. In Girl Jordan's house laid many bottles of beer on the floor, some empty and some half full. Surrounding the house were numerous teenagers passionately making out drunkenly. This included Rusty and this random college girl who was flaunting her birthday suit.
Ronnie Anne facepalmed. "We owe Lori so much money."
"So, what do we do?" He asked.
"Let's just find the others and split. Come on." She dragged him by the hand around Girl Jordan's house to find the rest of the group. "I wonder where everyone is."
"Well, if it isn't Lincoln Lame," screeched a familiar voice tipsily. A gruffed up red-haired teenager walked up to the pair, who were still holding hands. "Is that your little-" Chandler hiccuped mid sentence. "Your little girlfriend? Aww, how cute." He cooed. "NOT!"
"What do you want, Chandler?" Lincoln said in a sarcastic manner as he crossed his arms. He was NOT in the mood for any more shenanigans tonight.
"I'm about to settle the score." He cracked his knuckles. "It's time I put you out of your misery for good." Chandler flashed a menacing glare to the poor white-haired teenager. The antagonistic teen charged at Lincoln with a beer bottle. He flinched and closed his eyes. However, he opened them once he realized that he didn't get inflicted with the bottle.
"You should pick on someone your own size, dickhead." Ronnie Anne, who caught the bottle before it smashed Lincoln's head, took off the sweater and bared her fists. Of course, the decision of catching the bottle while it had such velocity did not go without consequences. Ronnie Anne's right hand was severely cut and damaged, but this wouldn't stop the ferocious Santiago. "Hold this, Lincoln." She tossed the sweater.
Lincoln, jaw slack and all, was stunned to see that Ronnie Anne Santiago, the girl who usually wanted to see him suffer, was willing to take this fight for him. He should've interjected, but his feet stayed planted to the ground. He was too, what's the word, fearful to stop it?
No.
He was too cowardly.
However, it wouldn't have made a huge difference anyway, since Ronnie Anne knocked the very drunk Chandler out in one fateful swing. This commotion caused a ring to form around the three teens, but Ronnie Anne only had one priority. "Are you okay, Linc?"
He stood there speechless that she would fight for him like that. He knew how badass she was, but he should have been the one protecting her, not the other way around. He rubbed his arm and dragged her out. "Come on." He took her unwounded hand and led them to Girl Jordan. "Hey, Jordan. Is there anywhere I can patch this up?" He pointed to Ronnie Anne's fractured hand.
Girl Jordan herself was a little tipsy, but she responded quite clearly. "There should be a first aid kit in the master bedroom. I don't think any hornballs are in there right now, and my parents are out of town, so you're free to go. Make sure to lock the door, though."
"Thanks." Lincoln continued to drag Ronnie Anne until they reached the master bedroom. At a party this crowded, there were eyes that followed the pair as they entered. A trail of "oohs" and "aahs" followed as these spectators heard the lock click. But Lincoln couldn't care. "What were you thinking?" He finally said to her.
She plopped on the bed and laid down. " 'Oh wow, thanks for saving my life, Ronnie Anne!' 'No problem, Lincoln!' " She mocked, provoked.
"Ugh, you know what I mean. Why would you take the hit for me?" He shouted angrily as he rummaged through the bedroom for the first aid kit.
"It was going for your head!" She shouted. "Better my hand than your head!" She asserted. "Gee, if I knew you were going to be so ungrateful I would've just let that damn thing hit you."
"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. But please don't put yourself in danger like that again."
"The only one in danger was Chandler. He's lucky he didn't get the full package." She joked, but winced as Lincoln started tending to her hand. "Gah! That burns."
He giggled at her reaction. "It gets worse before it gets better." The two of them stayed quiet while he was patching up the deep wound. The silence was awkward, but weirdly comfortable. 'What could we even talk about?' thought the white-haired teen while he was patching up her wound. 'I should've never come here with her. The thought of her getting hurt is painful enough. But to see it come to reality is just horrifying. I'm going to tell Lori to pick us up right after this.' He internally groaned and furrowed his brows. Ronnie Anne noticed his sudden change in expression.
"What's on your mind?" She asked innocently, drafting him out of his thoughts.
"Nothing, it's nothing." He quickly replied. "Please just don't do that again."
"I can't promise anything, Linc. If anyone wants to mess with my friends, they have to go through me first." She stated proudly. "Besides, this was nothing compared to what I had to do when walking alone in the city."
"Why do you keep doing that?" Lincoln confronted her.
"Doing what?" She deflected.
"Acting like everything's fine when it's not! You keep bringing up all of these dangerous scenarios, putting yourself in danger, and always shutting me out from your feelings. When was the last time you've talked about this shit without turning it into a joke?!" He yelled way louder than he intended to. "I'm sorry for getting angry. It's just that–" He stumbled on his words, but he looked up to see two pleading glassy eyes who were begging for answers. "I care about you, okay? I care so much that it hurts to see you like this. So, just…talk to me. Seriously. You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"
Ronnie Anne looked at her long term best friend dumbfoundedly. This was the first time he has ever outright said that he cared about her, which, she had to admit, felt kind of nice. "I…" She began to speak before he continued on with his lecture.
"Look, you were there for me when I needed you most." He blushed at the memory of the two of them under the covers of his bed, hands intertwined, as thunder filled the room all night long. "So, now it's my turn to be here for you."
Ronnie Anne's face also turned a brick red. "I never realized you cared that much. But I care about you too, which is why I took the hit for you in the first place." She admitted sheepishly. "If it bothers you that much, I promise I won't do anything like that again."
"Thank you-"
"BUT, on one condition."
Lincoln raised an eyebrow. "I'm listening."
"We get out of here and hit the arcade."
"Well, I already texted Lori to take us home but…I don't see how a couple of games would hurt?"
"You read my mind." She got up from the bed and dragged Lincoln out of the room. As they exited, they noticed a couple of drunk eyes trailing them, but they didn't care. All that mattered was getting the hell out of this weird party.
Lincoln awoke the next morning wondering if the previous night was a dream. It was, in fact, very real, which was proven by the amount of text messages on his phone.
He was going to check what these messages were about until he suddenly received a call from his best friend, Clyde. "Hello, Lincoln speaking." He joked.
The voice on the other line, however, was in NO mood for jokes. "YOU SLEPT WITH RONNIE ANNE?!" He yelled.
"I what?"